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Hopes aren’t high for the Las Vegas Raiders‘ playoff chances heading into the 2023 season. The team is undergoing some transformations on offense with quarterback Derek Carr released and tight end Darren Waller traded this offseason, and there’s skepticism that the team did enough to improve upon its 6-11 record from last season.
Star wide receiver Davante Adams isn’t used to losing. During his eight seasons with the Green Bay Packers, he missed the playoffs twice. In an August 2022 interview on the “The Pivot Podcast,” Adams made it clear he went to Las Vegas because he wants “to get that trophy.” However, the Raiders haven’t won a playoff game since 2022 and don’t appear to be headed in the right direction.
Though Adams grew up a fan of the team and is now closer to his family in California, playing for a losing team isn’t the best situation for a 30-year-old wide receiver searching for his first Super Bowl ring. In a July 5 column, Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report predicted that Adams will request a trade before the October 31 deadline.
“The Raiders open with the Denver Broncos who they beat twice last season, but then they get the Bills, Steelers and Chargers before playing Adams’ former team on Monday Night Football,” Ballentine wrote.
“It’s not hard to envision a scenario where a slow start and a loss to the Packers on national television could wear out the relationship between Adams and the Raiders.”
Davante Adams Just Wants to Win
Davante Adams hasn’t come out and said that he’s unhappy with the Raiders and wants to leave. In fact, he’s said the opposite. Back in May, he made it clear that he has a strong relationship with general manager Dave Ziegler and head coach Josh McDaniels. He simply just wants to win.
“I’ve never been encouraged to speak up and share my feelings with the organization the way I have with these two guys,” Adams said during his May 25 media availability. “And, obviously, sometimes things get said and taken out of context, but it’s never my intention to bring any type of negative attention or throw off the focus of the team or whatever, which did not happen, by the way. We got a lot of guys in here that know me well by this point and know my intentions and know I just want to win.”
Las Vegas Raiders Ranked 25th in Power Rankings
If Davante Adams’ only goal is to win, he could be in for a rough 2023 season. The media is not high on the team’s chances. In their July 3 power ranking for Pro Football Focus, Amelia Probst and Arjun Menon ranked the Raiders all the way down at 25.
“The Raiders gave newly signed quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo a new weapon by drafting tight end Michael Mayer,” Menon and Probst wrote. “The Notre Dame product was targeted more than any other tight end in the country in 2022 and earned an FBS-best 92.5 PFF grade in the process. Mayer also earned an 80.0-plus run-blocking grade and could be the rare tight end that contributes early in his NFL career after producing immediately in college, even if his ceiling may not be the highest.
“Bennett was a much-needed addition to the Raiders’ cornerback room. He allowed a completion on just 44.4% of targets into his coverage in 2022. Given the state of the Raiders’ cornerback room prior to the draft, Bennett has a legitimate opportunity to compete for snaps on the outside right out of the gate. Up front, Tyree Wilson joins the tenacious Maxx Crosby and veteran Chandler Jones, who needs to bounce back in 2023.”
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